Draft connection



Jan. 5, 1943. E. P. KINNE ET AL 2,307,409

DRAFT CONNECTION Original Filed March 23, 1939 INVENTORS. EdmundP]ZL7Z7Z@,

BY Frank H V cyZc /IZ Patented Jan. 5, 1943 DRAFT CONNECTION Edmund P.Kinne and Frank H. Kayler, Alliance, Ohio, assignors to American SteelFoundries, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New Jersey Originalapplication March 23, 1939, Serial No. 263,616. Divided and thisapplication March 15,

1941, Serial No. 383,518

'7 Claims.

Our invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars and moreparticularly to a novel connection between a yoke and associated partssuch as a coupler and draft gear and is divided out of our co-pendingapplication Serial No. 263,616, entitled Draft connections, and filed inthe United States Patent Ofiice March 23, 1939.

In the development of modern passenger equipment it has been founddesirable to eliminate all free slack in the connections between cars,Couplers, now commonly designated tight lock couplers and controlledslack couplers, have been developed for this purpose and such couplerseliminate all free slack in the contour of the mated coupler heads.

In the elimination of free slack between cars, it is just as importantthat the connections between the coupler shank and the draft arrangementor between the draft arrangement and the car sills be free of slack inorder to accomplish the desired results.

A number of devices have been developed to and the coupler, andexperience has demonstrated that these devices are either too heavy andunwieldy or too expensive for practical operation. None of these deviceshave provided for closing all free slack between the draft connectionand the car sills. In order to-do this, it is necessary to have anadjustable length of the gear pocket in the yoke in order that it mayconform to the length of the enclosed gear and the space affordedbetween the car sills.

An object of our invention is to provide a draft connection for arailway car which will overcome the above disadvantages and provide anarrangement affording an entirely slack free connection.

Our invention contemplates an arrangement I which is adjustable andaffords the possibility of adapting the length of the gear pocket toaccommodate manufacturing variations in gear lengths, and, likewise, toaccommodate the manufacturing tolerances which must be provided in allparts.

A further object of our invention is a novel form of arrangement betweena coupler shank and a yoke therefor which will afford at all times atight engagement between the yoke, the coupler shank and the associateddraft gear.

Our invention comprehends a novel device which may be mounted at therear of the draft gear pocket in a yoke and which includes a wedgemovable along spaced diagonal surfaces on the yoke to vary the length ofthe pocket. Our invention also includes means for guiding the wedgemember during adjustment.

Whereas, under present standard arrangements, the various manufacturingtolerances permitted may, and sometimes do, result in assembledconditions varying from a considerable increase in slack over thatdesired to a condition of actual interference, sometimes resulting ininitial compression of the draft gear, our arrangement permitsadjustments of the gear pocket length in the draft connection to thesame length as that of the gear pocket in the car regardless ofmanufacturing tolerances.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a yoke embodying ourinvention, partly in section, the section being taken substantially inthe ver tical plane bisecting the device longitudinally as indicated bythe line l-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, of thestructure shown in Figure l, the section being taken substantially inthe horizontal plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view corresponding in general to Figure 1 but showing theparts arranged in of channel shape as best seen from the View Y ofFigure 2, said end portion comprising the side walls 5 and I and the webof said channel forming the sloping wall l0 offset adjacent the middlethereof as at l2, said sloping wall presenting on its forward face aplurality of offset wedge surfaces indicated respectively at M and i6.An-

adjusting wedge block I8 is assembled into the rear end of the yoke, thesaid wedge block having the rear wedge faces 20 and 22 for engagementwith the before-mentioned surfaces l4 and IS. The adjusting wedge I8 isretained in position by engagement of the top interlocking lugs 24, 24in the sloping grooves 26, 26 which are formed in the side walls of theyoke and which are defined by the ribs 50, 50, and by the bottominterlocking lugs 28, 28 engaging in similar grooves 30 in the sidewalls of the yoke, as well as by the nonthreaded upper end 32 of theadjusting screw 34, said screw having threaded engagement as at 36 inthe bottom wall or strap 6. The upper unthreaded portion of the screw 34extends into the accommodating opening 38 in the bottom of the adjustingwedge block 58 whereby said adjusting screw 34 may be moved up or downby the threaded engagement at 36 to adjust the position of the wedgeblock l8.

The adjusting screw 34 is secured in any desired position by means ofthe heavy wire 40 which is threaded through the opening 42 at the bottomof said screw and extended through the opening 44 in the rib 46 formedon the bottom wall of the yoke. The opening 42 serves as a means forinsertion of a rod to turn the adjusting screw, and the rib 46 alsoforms a protection preventing marring of the adjusting screw 34.

Along the forward edges of the wedge block l8 are formed the verticalflanges or ribs 48 affording increased bearing area for abutment withthe associated draft gear.

The adjusting wedge block [8 is shown in detail in Figures 4 to 6inclusive. It may be noted that the wedge surfaces 20 and 22 are offsetadjacent each other as at 52 thus accommodating the offset l2 in thewall they abut.

Rotation of the adjusting screw 34 is operative to move the wedge blockupwardly or to permit it to move downwardly under the force of gravityas desired and the manner in which the movement of the wedge blockoperates to reduce the length of the gear pocket 9 is made clear by acomparison of the views of Figures 1 and 3, Figure 1 showing the wedgeblock i8 seated in its lowermost position and Figure 3 showing it seatedin its uppermost position. In the lowermost position the adjusting blockit is seated on the bottom wall or strap 6 whereas in its uppermostposition it abuts the top wall or strap 4.

It is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited by the exactembodiment of the device shown which is merely by way of illustrationand not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, ofcourse, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket with a wallpresenting spaced diagonal surfaces, spaced side walls and an end wedgedefining one end of said pocket and presenting diagonal faces forcomplementary engagement with said surfaces, a socket in said wedge,screw actuating means on said yoke having an end seated in said socketwhereby the length of said gear pocket may be varied, slots in said sidewalls and guiding means on said wedge comprising spaced lugs at eachside thereof in engagement with respective slots.

2. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket with adiagonal wall offset adjacent to its middle portion and with spaced sidewalls, a wedge member with a face defining one end of said pocket andspaced surfaces in complementary engagement with said wall, operablebeers in engagement with the other thereof for varying the length ofsaid pocket, and guide means comprising spaced projecting means on eachside of one of said members in engagement :with recessed means in thesides of the other member.

4. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket defined byspaced side walls and a diagonal end wall, a wedge member defining anend of the pocket and in complemetary engagement with said end wall,means on said yoke engaged with said wedge member for moving said memberagainst said wall, whereby the length of said pocket may be varied,slots in said side walls, and guide means on the wedge member comprisingspaced lugs at each side thereof in engagement with respective slots.

5. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket defined byspaced side walls and a diagonal end wall, a wedge member defining anend of the pocket and comprising a surface in complementary engagementwith said end wall, means on said yoke engaged with said wedge memberfor moving said wedge member against said wall whereby the length ofsaid pocket may be varied, slots in said side walls, and guide means onthe wedge member comprising spaced lugs on each side thereof in guidingengagement with respective slots.

6. In a draft connection, a yoke member having a pocket comprising anend wall, an adjusting member defining an end of the pocket and incomplementary engagement with said end wall, means on said yoke memberengaged with said adjusting member for moving said adjusting memberagainst said wall whereby the length of said pocket may be varied, andguide means comprising spaced projecting means on each side of one ofsaid members in complementary engagement with recessed means in oppositesides of the other member.

7. In a draft connection, a yoke member having a pocket comprising anend wall, an adjusting member defining an end of the pocket and inengagement with said wall, means on one of said members cooperating withthe other member for moving said adjusting member against said wall,whereby the length of said pocket may be varied, and spaced projectingguide means on each side of one of said members in complementaryengagement with complementary guide means on the other member.

EDMUND P. KINNE. FRANK H. KAYLER.

